How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 336

336. Aren’t You Just Giving Him Rewards for Nothing?_What’s Wrong with a Ride-Hailing Driver Having Some Money?

336. Aren’t You Just Giving Him Rewards for Nothing?

After witnessing the ‘awesomeness’ of Yang Chen’s second cousin, Wang Yuwei and the others became much more subdued.

They knew their status couldn’t compare to someone who spends millions at SKP [a high-end shopping mall in Beijing] every year. With just a word from Yang Chen, his second cousin would surely kick them out.

Yang Chen said with a smile, “Wang Yuwei, do you come here often?”

Wang Yuwei immediately raised her head, looking proud, and replied, “Of course. As long as I’m in Beijing, I come at least three times a week.”

Zheng Wei: “Yuwei, you’re amazing. I wouldn’t dare go to Carrefour [a large supermarket chain] three times a week, let alone this place.”

Wang Yuwei: “A girl only has a few good years, so of course, she can’t mistreat herself. Are you going to wait until you’re old to think about treating yourself well? By then, you won’t be able to enjoy it, and it’ll be useless even if you understand.”

Zheng Wei nodded, her psychological defenses further crumbling.

She estimated that if Wang Yuwei used a few tricks today, she would be taken down like Ruan Wan and become a member of Wang Yuwei’s group.

Wang Yuwei said that every socialite who joins the group has to give her a 500 yuan [approximately $70 USD] membership fee. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much, and it wouldn’t support her luxurious lifestyle.

But!

There’s a rule in the group: no matter who successfully gets a deal, they must use Wang Yuwei’s membership card to buy things.

This way, Wang Yuwei will definitely get some discounts and gifts from various brands.

She can also earn a lot of money through this. After all, these are all luxury brands, and even a little points redemption or product discount is a lot of money.

Of course, her main income is still from hooking up with rich guys, letting them pay for her things, and then reselling them to brand stores, second-hand stores, or even directly offering them to the socialites in the group at the original price.

In a word, the more people in the socialite group, the more Wang Yuwei earns.

So, this explains why she wanted to develop Li Yunxi into a member of the group.

She didn’t accidentally pull Li Yunxi into the group. Instead, she deliberately let Li Yunxi see the group, understand the socialite community, and then take Li Yunxi to experience the socialite life, ultimately winning her over.

Li Yunxi’s parents are both university teachers, and her father is an expert in history and archeology. Her family may not be super rich, but they definitely never lack money. Moreover, she has received very strict ideological education since she was a child. How could she be so easily persuaded to become a fake socialite?

Yang Chen said with a smile, “Then please, Miss Wang, be our guide and show us around.”

Wang Yuwei: “No problem! Let’s look at LV [Louis Vuitton] later when we’re about to leave. I have a bag to pick up, and I’ll take you in to see it then. Let’s go see other brands first.”

The group followed Wang Yuwei.

Wang Yuwei took everyone to start shopping from the underground supermarket.

The fruits here are really expensive! A grapefruit costs 260 yuan, a bunch of grapes costs 650 yuan…

Li Yunxi: “Things are getting more and more expensive here.”

Wang Yuwei smiled proudly, as if she owned the place, and said, “It’s normal! It’s the second-highest-ranked mall in the world and the first in the country. It’s normal for things to be a bit expensive. If they were cheap, people wouldn’t come. It’s because they’re expensive that they can highlight the nobility of the guests who spend money here.”

Yang Chen asked, “What kind of grapes are these that are so expensive?”

The salesperson replied with a smile, “These are Shine Muscat grapes imported from Japan. These grapes are seedless and have a fragrance, like the scent of roses, and the taste is incredibly sweet. You can try one. If you’re not satisfied, you don’t have to buy them. It’s okay.”

Yang Chen was very satisfied with the salesperson’s performance. This is the attitude a salesperson should have. Regardless of whether the customer can afford it or will eventually buy it, the service and attitude that should be provided must be there.

Yang Chen picked up one and ate it. As the salesperson said, it was indeed a bit better than ordinary grapes.

Seeing that Yang Chen had tried it, Wang Yuwei quickly took two, one to try and one to hide in her hand. She could take this back to take pictures and show off.

She had already thought of the caption.

“Went to SKP today to pick up my pre-ordered LV bag and suddenly craved grapes. So, I bought Shine Muscat grapes imported from Japan and ate all but one in one go. Actually, the taste is okay, a bit better than ordinary grapes. But after eating too much, it’s just so-so, nothing special.”

Posting such a caption, along with the LV bag and a few of her suggestive photos, would immediately attract a bunch of simps [people who excessively admire and flatter someone, often with romantic intentions].

Yang Chen thought they were quite delicious, so he said, “In this weather, if they’re not refrigerated, how long can they be stored?”

The salesperson quickly replied, “If you don’t mind the taste being affected, they can last for two or three days.”

Yang Chen: “Okay! Give me a few bunches.”

The salesperson happily nodded and said, “Okay, okay. How many bunches would you like, handsome?”

Yang Chen: “Four bunches, please.”

The salesperson: “Okay, okay. I’ll pack them for you.”

Li Yunxi quickly whispered, “Brother, you’re going a bit overboard. 650 yuan a bunch, you want 4 bunches, that’s not… um… four times five is twenty, four times six is twenty-four, 2600 gone?” [approximately $365 USD]

Wang Yuwei and the other two were also stunned by Yang Chen’s behavior.

Wang Yuwei: “How much do you earn a month?”

Yang Chen: “I’ve been a bit lazy lately, about 5000 or so, not driving much. After deducting the gas money, I make a net profit of 2000 yuan.” [approximately $700 USD and $280 USD respectively]

Ruan Wan: “Then aren’t you crazy? You only make a net profit of 2000 yuan a month, and you spend 2600 to buy four bunches of grapes? What are you thinking? Don’t you spend money when you go on dates with Yunxi?”

Yang Chen: “I don’t spend money. Do I need to spend money when I go on dates with you?”

Li Yunxi shook her head with a smile and said, “No.”

Wang Yuwei and the other two couldn’t listen anymore and pulled Li Yunxi aside to do some ideological work.

Wang Yuwei: “Girl, are you okay? You’re dating him, and you’re paying for the dates. Aren’t you just paying someone to sleep with you?”

Ruan Wan: “Exactly! You’re at a loss. When other people date and get laid, at least the guy will take on some of the financial burden. Good grief, you’re getting laid by him, and he doesn’t even spend money on dates. What are you getting out of this?”

Li Yunxi: “He’s handsome. Being handsome is enough to live on. Haven’t you guys been benefiting from it too?”

After saying that, Li Yunxi raised her head and walked away proudly.

Wang Yuwei and her two friends were dumbfounded and speechless.

Not long after, Yang Chen saw a yellow dragon fruit.

“What’s the deal with this dragon fruit?” Yang Chen asked.

Seeing that Yang Chen’s cart had four bunches of Shine Muscat grapes, the salesperson knew he wasn’t short on money and quickly greeted him warmly, “Handsome, try the taste first. We have samples here. This just looks similar to a dragon fruit, but it’s called a Kylin fruit, also known as a bird’s nest fruit. It has extremely high anthocyanin content, and eating more can improve sleep, protect eyesight, and delay aging.”

Yang Chen took a bite and confirmed that it wasn’t a dragon fruit, saying, “Really? It can delay aging?”

The salesperson: “Of course. Eating it regularly will definitely have an effect. You’ll definitely look younger than your peers.”

Yang Chen: “Then give me a few.”

The salesperson: “We sell it by the box, 5 in a box, 650 yuan a box.”

Yang Chen: “Okay! Give me a box. I want to delay aging too.”

The salesperson: “Haha… you’re so handsome, young man. Are these all your girlfriends?”

Yang Chen: “Do you think my kidneys are made of iron?” [implying he couldn’t handle that many girlfriends]

“Haha…” The salesperson laughed and quickly went to pack the Kylin fruit.

Zheng Wei whispered, “Yunxi, do you want to persuade him? If he keeps buying like this, you might have to support him for the next few months.”

Wang Yuwei: “People who haven’t seen the world are like this. When they finally have a good opportunity, they’ll definitely buy like crazy. It’s just a pity for you, Yunxi. Not only do you have to pay for dates, but you also have to support him in life. You’re too miserable. You haven’t even graduated with your master’s degree, and you already have to take on the responsibility of supporting a family. Sigh… That’s why I say, a woman can be unsuccessful in her career, but she must open her eyes and marry well.”

The fake socialite started instilling gold-digging ideas again, and Zheng Wei was gradually falling for it…

Before long, Yang Chen had selected a whole cart of fruits and snacks.

Whether they were all delicious was uncertain, but the prices were definitely high.

Yang Chen believed that rich people weren’t stupid. If the snacks sold at such high prices weren’t delicious, the business definitely wouldn’t survive.

Wang Yuwei, Zheng Wei, and Ruan Wan walked behind, whispering.

Zheng Wei: “I just roughly estimated that he bought about 20,000 yuan worth of stuff. He’s really willing to spend. Did he take out all his savings to buy these things?” [approximately $2800 USD]

Wang Yuwei: “He’s just showing off in front of us. 20,000 yuan, he’d have to save for at least a year.”

Ruan Wan: “I wish I had such a generous simp. I wouldn’t have to rack my brains to get them to buy things and give gifts.”

Soon, the group arrived at the checkout counter to pay.

Tomorrow was Christmas, and there were many activities in the mall. The real and fake socialites brought their sugar daddies to spend money, and there were long queues at the checkout counters.

At this time, the checkout supervisor walked over.

“Sir, hello. Our mall is having a Christmas event today, and you’ve been selected to answer a question. As long as you answer correctly, you’ll have the chance to have your shopping cart cleared. Please be sure to participate.”

The surrounding people looked over, thinking, “Wow, is there really such a good thing?”

Yang Chen smiled and replied, “Okay. I definitely want to participate in such an event. Come on, what’s the question?”

The supervisor: “Do you know the name of the mall you are currently in?”

The surrounding people widened their eyes in shock.

“What the heck, is this a prize-winning quiz?”

“This is clearly a gift!”

Yang Chen laughed and said, “Your event is quite sincere. You’re afraid customers won’t be able to answer, right?”

The supervisor replied with a smile, “Haha… It’s not easy to have an event, so of course, we focus on happiness and celebration. Answering the question is just a formality.”

Yang Chen: “Well, not bad. It’s great that you have such an idea to give back to customers. This way, customers will be more motivated to spend money. So, can I answer now?”

The supervisor: “Yes! Please answer.”

Yang Chen: “This is the SKP mall.”

The supervisor: “Congratulations, you answered correctly! You will receive the opportunity to clear your shopping cart. Come, you don’t have to queue. Follow me to the exclusive channel for the event.”

After saying that, the supervisor took the initiative to push Yang Chen’s shopping cart towards a checkout counter with a “Closed” sign, while a cashier quickly ran over to turn on the machine and prepare to ring up the purchases.

Seeing this, the customers who were queuing were dumbfounded.

“What the heck, is this for real? Could there be an easier question than this? Isn’t this just giving him a gift for free?”

“I suddenly feel like my VIP card isn’t so great anymore.”

“What kind of luck is this? I’ve been spending money here for almost ten years and haven’t heard of such an event. How did they come up with this freebie this year?”

“Doesn’t that guy look familiar? I think I’ve seen him somewhere before. Oh, right! I remember, he’s the driver from Haicheng who drives that Jianghuai car. I saw him. The Rolls-Royce Phantom driver argued with him, and the mall directly broadcast a ban on him entering the mall before 24:00 today!”

“Really? He’s the reason they broadcast the ban on that person entering the mall? What kind of background does this big shot from Haicheng have? Is he the son of some wealthy family?”

“This isn’t just a matter of being the son of some family. In ancient times, he’d have to be a member of the imperial family, or even a prince. Being able to order SKP to ban a Rolls-Royce Phantom owner from entering isn’t something that can be solved with money.”

…

Wang Yuwei, Zheng Wei, and Ruan Wan, after hearing the discussions of those wealthy people, didn’t know whether to laugh or feel sad.

Zheng Wei whispered, “Yuwei, do you think this is really a Christmas event, or is his second cousin pulling strings?”

Ruan Wan: “It can’t be his second cousin, right? How could a security captain have so much power? Banning a customer from entering is one thing, but waiving more than 20,000 yuan in expenses is impossible, right?”

Wang Yuwei: “I also think it’s unlikely. His luck is really extraordinary. He won a prize at the Bulgari Hotel, and now he’s winning a prize at SKP. Ugh! Is he going to win a prize again when we go to Tang Court [a high-end restaurant] for dinner tonight?”

Ruan Wan: “Are we really going to Tang Court for dinner? It’s very expensive.”

Wang Yuwei: “Don’t worry. I’m splitting the bill with the group, and with my membership card and points, it only cost a little over 3,000 yuan. We’re roommates, so would I really feel bad about spending 3,000 yuan on you guys?” [approximately $420 USD]

Ruan Wan: “Hehe… That’s great, good sister.”

Zheng Wei continued to fall for it…

Other customers saw that Yang Chen’s checkout counter was open and quickly wanted to queue up.

The supervisor quickly said, “Sorry, we’re not processing payments here. You need to go to the open checkout counters over there.”

The customers were confused and angry.

“Then how can he check out here?”

“Yeah! Does he get to open a separate checkout counter just because he bought a lot of stuff? Are we not worthy of being treated like people because we bought less?”

“We’ve spent millions here, and just because we bought less this time, we don’t even have the right to queue up to pay?”

…

The supervisor quickly explained, “Dear guests, please don’t misunderstand. There’s a lot of traffic these days, and our cashiers’ workload has increased, so everyone is tired and needs to take shifts to rest. This gentleman won a big prize in our event, so we’re checking him out separately to make it easier for us to report to our leaders and get approval. Sorry, everyone, please go back to the queue.”

Those people were still not convinced.

“Then we want to participate in such an event too.”

“Yes! We’re old customers here, why don’t you draw us to participate in this freebie event?”

“Is there something fishy going on? Is he the son of some leader?”

…

Li Yunxi quickly said, “He’s not the son of any leader. He’s just a ride-hailing driver.”

Yang Chen nodded with a smile and said, “Yes! I’m just a ride-hailing driver from Haicheng. Don’t overthink it.”

Those wealthy people were confused. Could it be that SKP really had such a freebie event?

Soon, the shopping list came out, and the supervisor asked Yang Chen to sign it before he could leave.

Yang Chen signed his name and said thank you.

Just as he was about to turn around to pick up his things, Wang Yuwei and Ruan Wan quickly fought to carry them.

There were five large bags. Wang Yuwei and Ruan Wan each grabbed two, leaving one for Zheng Wei. Yang Chen and Li Yunxi didn’t have to carry anything.

Yang Chen said with a smile, “This isn’t good, it makes me look like I have no manners.”

Wang Yuwei quickly said, “You and Yunxi rarely come to Beijing, you’re our guests, and we’re the hosts. There’s no reason to let our guests work. It’s okay, you and Yunxi go ahead and look around. We’ll follow behind.”

Li Yunxi wanted to go up and ask for a bag to carry herself, but Wang Yuwei and Ruan Wan refused, both insisting on carrying two.

Li Yunxi had no choice but to let them, and she and Yang Chen walked ahead.

Wang Yuwei gave Ruan Wan a look, and they both understood each other’s intentions. They quickly and quietly went to the restroom.

They put the four bags together, deliberately revealing the price tags inside, and then took a lot of pictures.

After selecting some nice photos, they quickly posted them on their Moments [a feature on WeChat, a popular Chinese social media app, similar to a Facebook feed].

The photos of the Bulgari Hotel they posted before had already received responses, and many simps were leaving comments to flatter them.

“As expected of my goddess, this is the daily life I aspire to.”

“Awesome! You can even have Salt Bae [a famous Turkish chef known for his flamboyant salt-sprinkling technique] personally make you steak. The life of a rich woman is so simple and unadorned.”

“Weiwei, are you free tomorrow? I’ll take you to Tang Court for dinner.”

…

Looking at the replies from their target sugar daddies, Wang Yuwei and Ruan Wan both smiled with satisfaction.

The two quickly relieved themselves, picked up their things, and went out to find Yang Chen and the others.

Li Yunxi: “Where did you guys go?”

Wang Yuwei: “We went to the restroom. Let’s go, let’s go take a look at the first floor.”

Ruan Wan: “Should we store our things? These things are really a bit heavy.”

Wang Yuwei: “I think that’s a good idea! Let’s go store our things and come back to get them after we’re done shopping.”

These two are really realistic. They didn’t want to carry the bags after taking pictures.

After storing their things, the group went to the first floor.

Although the things in the underground supermarket were expensive, ordinary wage earners could grit their teeth and buy some things to try.

The things on the ground floor were not something you could try even if you gritted your teeth.

For example, the group came to a watch store called “JACOBCO.”

The watches on display in the window cost at least three to five hundred thousand, and some cost millions. There was even a watch worth 15 million [approximately $42,000 – $70,000 USD, millions of USD, and $2.1 million USD respectively].

Li Yunxi: “Wow! Come and see, how many zeros is that?”

Wang Yuwei said with a smile, “Jacob & Co. watches, personally, I think Jacob & Co. watches are better than Richard Mille watches. Why? Because the owner of Jacob & Co. is a jeweler. Most of the watches of this brand are a combination of watches and jewelry, which is really worth the money.”

Yang Chen had a different opinion, saying, “Jewels and diamonds are just gimmicks created by capitalists to deceive you women. In reality, they’re not worth anything. You spend tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, to buy a diamond ring, and when you go out to have them recycled, you’ll get at most a few thousand yuan. Anyone who buys this stuff is stupid. It’s better to get gold.”

Wang Yuwei: “Tch, you’re just saying that because you can’t afford it.”

Yang Chen: “There are quite a few customers here who can take out one or two million, right? Do you see anyone buying it? The richer people are, the more rational they are. This kind of watch is just waiting for a destined sucker.”

At this time, a salesperson walked over and said unhappily, “Sir, it’s okay if you don’t buy, but please don’t slander our brand, okay?”

Yang Chen nodded and said, “Okay, this is your store, you have the final say.”

These luxury stores contribute to SKP’s sales, rent, etc., and Yang Chen didn’t really want to ruin their brand.

Yang Chen took Li Yunxi and the others away.

Wang Yuwei mocked, “Got roasted, didn’t you? Don’t comment if you can’t afford it. Let me tell you, that salesperson is famously good. Before, many customers gave bad reviews to that 15 million yuan watch, and he either roasted them or scolded them. Not all the people who come here are rich, but their families are definitely not poor, so would they put up with him? But no matter how the customers complained, he refused to apologize, and the key is that he can still continue to work here as a salesperson. It is said that he is the son of some leader in the mall, so he is so arrogant. It’s already considered polite of him not to scold you just now.”

Ruan Wan: “It’s okay to comment, but you have to say good things. You have to understand one thing, there must be a reason why people’s things can sell so expensively. Rich people aren’t stupid, they wouldn’t let this brand survive if the things weren’t good.”

Yang Chen: “I know what’s good and what’s not. If I think it’s not good, it’s not good. Am I not allowed to say it?”

Wang Yuwei wanted to say something, but the salesperson from Jacob & Co. chased after them.

“Sir, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. My attitude was not good just now, I apologize to you. Why don’t you go back to our store and take a look? I’ll introduce you to other models.” The salesperson said humbly, his back never straightening up, always standing in front of Yang Chen with his back bent.

Wang Yuwei and the others were stunned again. Wasn’t he famous for roasting customers and refusing to apologize?

How did he chase after Yang Chen to apologize?

And the most deadly thing was that he was so humble.

Where was his temper?

Wasn’t he the son of some leader in the mall?

Stand up straight!

Yang Chen naturally wouldn’t bother with such a small character, and said with a smile, “It’s okay, you’re just doing your job. I won’t go look, go back to work.”

The salesperson quickly bowed humbly again and replied, “Okay, okay. Thank you, sir, for your understanding. Next time you come to SKP to inspect… oh, no, next time you come to SKP to play, be sure to come to our Jacob & Co., I’ll treat you well to make up for this neglect. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Inspect?

He let it slip.

Fortunately, Li Yunxi and the others didn’t hear it.

Yang Chen nodded with a smile and waved his hand to signal him to leave quickly.

Watching the salesperson leave as if he were running away, Wang Yuwei couldn’t help but ask, “Did your second cousin do this again?”

Yang Chen: “Haha… Of course. Don’t underestimate my second cousin’s position as a security captain, he has a lot of power.”

Wang Yuwei and the others were dumbfounded, really unable to understand what was going on with this famous salesperson.

Does a security captain have more power than a mall leader?

Then it seems that that person’s father is not a big leader either.

Tch, pretending…